


New World Divided

by Fientje108



Series: A Gay Fanfiction [2]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Inner war, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:01:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29322093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fientje108/pseuds/Fientje108
Summary: The love between Gil and Jay is still brand new, while multiple enemies are knocking on their door. Gil has already decided he has to stand up to his dad, but still feels divided in the different worlds he suddenly has to choose from.
Relationships: Gil/Jay (Disney: Descendants), Hinting of Harry/Jay/Gil, Hinting of Harry/Uma
Series: A Gay Fanfiction [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2114841
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a direct follow-up from my other Gil/Jay story called “A Rose Blooming”. I would strongly recommend to read that one first before reading this one, since you probably won’t be able to understand the events in this story otherwise.

Jay walked beside Carlos through the giant castle halls. He pretended to know where he was going, but the castle was honestly still a huge maze for him. He had visited it a couple of times before, considering that one of his best friends actually lived there. All the halls still looked the same to him, while Jay tried to find the fastest route to their destiny. 

“Jay, slow down,” Carlos complained behind him, trying to keep up with Jay’s quick pace. “I know we’re late, but you don’t have to rush?” 

“I don’t, you’re just really slow,” Jay said back to him. 

“No, I’m not. You’re just really eager to see him again.” Jay quickly looked over his shoulder to his best friend. He then had to concentrate again, not sure if he was heading in the right direction. 

“Gil has been really busy lately,” Jay complained to Carlos. “Something about repairing the pirate ship, but every time I look at that wreck it honestly looks worse to me.” 

Carlos simply shrugged, even though Jay didn’t pay attention to him. “At least it will give you the change to spend some time studying. Your exams are still in a few months.” 

Jay rolled his eyes. “You really have to remind me all the time? Don’t you have anything better to do?” 

“Not really,” Carlos joked back. He grabbed Jay’s arm, stopping him in his trace. “Someone still needs to keep an eye on you. And by the way, meeting room is that way.” Carlos pointed in the direction they had just come from. Jay sighed frustrated, but also smiled up to his friend. 

“Want to do a little race?” Jay asked with a challenging look on his face. Before Carlos could even answer Jay sprinted away, leaving Carlos no choice than to chase after him. 

“You’re just going in the wrong direction again!” Carlos yelled up to him. 

“I’m not!” Jay yelled back, hearing his voice echoing through the empty halls. 

~~~~~

Carlos and Jay almost busted through the doorway when they finally reached the meeting room. 

“Told you I knew the way,” Jay said proudly to his friend. He then noticed his boyfriend and his golden, wavy hair that fell on his shoulders, being held back by the bandana. His eyes were gentle and he immediately smiled to Jay when they entered the room. Gil seemed to be at ease, even though there was still a lot he had to be nervous about. 

It had only been a few days since they had chased Gaston and his two eldest sons away. Since then they already heard multiple rumours about Gaston raising an army. King Ben had decided to inform the people of Auradon about the plausible threat that Gaston formed against them. He still didn’t agree with closing the barrier again, standing to his decision to unite the Isle of the Lost and the United States of Auradon. Even though Mal and Ben had to be under a lot of pressure, they didn’t show it when they sat side by side at the head of the table. Mal just sighed frustrated when she saw Carlos and Jay finally entering the room. 

“Jay, could you please explain to me why it’s always you who’s late?” Mal asked from the head of the giant table that stood in the middle of the room. 

“Sorry,” Jay simply apologized, not willing to admit he actually got lost in the castle this time. Mal rolled with her eyes. 

“Just sit down,” Mal commanded him. 

Carlos patted his arm and pointed at the two empty chairs next to Evie. Jay sighed, hating it how the Sea Three sat on the other side of the table again. He rather sat beside Gil, but sitting opposite from him had to do for now. Gil and Jay secretly smiled at each other, but Jay could quickly feel the sinister gaze coming from Harry. For a moment Jay looked at him, heeding the still busted lip Harry got from his fight with the two henchmen. Jay decided to ignore him, focusing his attention to Mal again. Even though the wound on Harry’s face reminded him of the pain the slowly healing bruises still caused him. 

“I thank you all for coming to our second meeting,” Ben started formally. 

“Yes, let’s hope this one is a bit more worthwhile,” Harry sighed, immediately interrupting the king. Ben raised an eyebrow to him for a moment, but then surprised Harry with a smile.

“I’m glad to see you’re here as well,” Ben replied. Harry took the chance to send a grin back to him, showing of an alluring sparkle in his eyes. Ben was fast to break eye contact with the flirtatious pirate, turning his head towards Uma and Gil. “Same can be said about you two. I’m really glad you’re both here.” 

Gil frowned to him for a moment. It felt strange to him that the king and queen would actually be keen to have him in their castle. Let alone still have a meeting with him. Gil couldn’t help but to look at Jay again. Jay send a meaningful smile back to him, silently expressing that he was also really grateful that Gil was still around. 

“I know a lot has changed the past few days,” Ben continued after the interruption. “From the very start we knew we had to be cautious for potential villain attacks, but the threat became kind of undeniable by now. But Mal and I decided that we want to pick up right where we left off last time. We want to make the Isle of the Lost a driven part of the United States of Auradon and we want to make it equal to the other eighteen regions.” 

Mal nodded eagerly at everyone present. Three old friends which she trusted in every situation with her life and three infamous pirates she slowly started to trust as well. They all stared back at her, sensing that she was about to say something important.

“Ben and I thought long and hard about the future of the Isle,” Mal took over from Ben. “And we decided that it would be best if we entirely rebuild it. We want to transform the slums in actual houses, clean up the streets and make the place liveable. We want to make sure that the place will not be a reminder of a prison anymore.” 

Mal stopped for a moment and looked around. Jay, Carlos and Evie smiled pleased to each other. The pirates on the other hand looked stunned, all three waiting for the catch. 

“We still have to consider that a lot of people don’t want to rebuild their house,” Mal continued after a while. “It’s the only home they’ve known, so they actually might not be eager to change it. So we need a leader that actually knows what’s going on over there. Someone else than Gaston preferably.” 

“Wait a minute,” Uma interrupted the queen. “You want to put another ruler over the Isle? You’re not going to rule it yourself?” 

“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Mal quickly answered. “Ben and I will still be the ultimate rulers, like the rest of Auradon. But we think it would be best if there would be someone entirely focused on the Isle. An under ruler so to speak.” 

“Most of the regions are still kingdoms with their own king and queen,” Ben added when he saw Uma’s confused expression. “It actually works really well. All regions have their own law and reign, while we make the overall law and create an unity.” Uma nodded, still wondering where this was heading. 

“So this is a proposition for us?” Harry joked, making Gil smile to him in response. 

“Actually yes,” king Ben answered, making the three pirates frown again. 

“I never thought this was ever going to happen, but yes,” Mal filled in. “Uma, I’m asking you to be the new ruler of the Isle of the Lost. Queen if you even want to call it that.” 

Uma stared at Mal, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide in disbelief. Harry looked suspicious to all the others in the room and let his eyes rest on Jay for a moment. Jay shrugged it off. This was the first time he heard this as well, but it seemed like Harry expected that he was behind it all. Gil was the only one of the pirates who actually believed what had been said and smiled proudly at Uma. It seemed like her wish finally came true. 

“Okay, what is this?” Uma asked after she got over the shock. “Some kind of trick? You try to seduce me, so we will help you defeat Gaston? What’s the plan here, Mal?” 

“Oh, come on,” Mal shouted back at her. “I give you a generous offer here!” 

“Mal,” Evie said calming and laid a hand on her best friends arm. “You know they have good reasons to be suspicious. Give them a moment.” Mal sighed annoyed, but acknowledged that Evie was right. She turned back towards Uma. 

“Listen,” Mal started to explain. “Back when I still lived on the Isle it was kind of my mom that reigned over there.” 

“Is that how you remember it?” Uma snapped back at her. 

Mal sighed again, but decided to ignore the comment. “I never had that many friends over there. And since we left the place it was actually you and your pirate crew that ruled on the Isle. Like I said last time, a lot of VK’s follow you. You have a huge influence on them. And we need you to continue to do this in order to make this whole plan work.”

Uma looked back at Harry again. A smile began to form on her face when she slowly started to grasp what happened. Harry grabbed her hand and smile warmly back at her. He knew exactly how she was feeling. She had been fighting and plotting to achieve her reign for years. She was willing to sacrifice almost everything for it, in the hope she could succeed in which her mother had failed to do. Somehow it still felt odd that it was just given to them. Somehow it didn’t feel much like a victory, since it was handed to her on a silver plate like that. She looked back at Mal, straightening her face. She wouldn’t allow to show Mal how overjoyed she felt. There was still a lot to consider and in the back of her mind she reminded herself that this could still be a trap. There was still no doubt in her mind that she would take this opportunity with both her hands. 

“We still need to deal with Gaston. Otherwise this has no use at all,” Uma said to the king and queen. 

“Word goes around that an army is being raised on the Isle and that Gaston is their leader,” Mal confessed to the group. “I wish we had more information, but that’s all we have. We have nothing concrete so far.” 

“You would think those two henchmen had something to tell us,” Harry mentioned, referring to the two men they had captured. After the battle the pirates had to hand them over to the proper authorities for the interrogation. Uma had been fine with it, since it actually saved the pirates from guarding the two men. 

“They hadn’t much useful to tell us I’m afraid,” Ben answered Harry’s question. “It seems they didn’t know much about what Gaston was planning.” 

“Seems a little hard to believe, considering Gaston really enjoys talking about himself,” Harry said thoughtfully. Then a vicious look appeared in his eyes. “Maybe sending Gil down there and let him break his other arm could trigger some fresh memories.” 

Gil’s eyes grew big for a moment and he carefully send a worried glance towards Harry. Uma already rolled her eyes, knowing this plan would not be carried out anyway. 

“That sounds a lot like torture,” king Ben answered seriously. “We don’t do torturing in Auradon.” 

“Well, you don’t actually have to do so,” Harry answered. “Just making Gil stand there and threaten he’ll do it usually already does the trick. Trust me, I come with experience.” 

Ben raised his eyebrows towards the pirate. “No,” he said firmly. “No torturing and no threatening of torturing. We will do this in a civil manner.” 

“Boring,” Harry said while he leaned backwards in his chair. He still noticed how Gil sighed relieved and secretly made eye contact with Jay. Gil hated it that Jay had seen him like that, even though it made Harry glow with pride. Harry never wavered to use some violence, but Gil rather avoided it. Unless if it was absolutely necessary. 

~~~~~

Harry was glad the meeting didn’t take too much of his time, since king Ben got called for some urgent matters. Uma and Mal decided to discuss some matters between just the two of them and Uma send her two most loyal pirates back to the ship. Harry felt hurt when he got send away from Uma’s side. Things had been weird between them since he had told her about Audrey and it made him feel anxious once more. He didn’t show this at all and his confident smirk remained on his face. Harry sighed extravagant when they finally walked through the gates of the castle once more. He raised his hands towards the sky, soaking up the sunlight for a solid ten seconds. As if he had been locked up in the castle for days. 

Jay already felt annoyed by him and he quickly walked pass him. He had been left with Gil and Harry, since Carlos also quickly left to go to Jane, who had been watching Dude since he was gone. 

“You alright?” Gil asked his first mate. Somehow he could sense something was off. 

“Just tired of wasting my time on our dear king and queen, that’s all,” Harry answered Gil. Jay stared intimidating towards Harry, showing he didn’t like it how the pirate was talking about Mal. Harry on the other hand acted like he didn’t notice it. Jay was grateful at least Gil was still with him as well and he wasn’t left alone with just Harry. 

“And you?” Harry asked back at Gil. “Why are you looking with that frown on your face?” Jay looked up and also noticed the worried expression on Gil’s face. He hated to admit that Harry saw it before him. 

Gil simply shrugged, trying to put a smile on his face. “It’s just that Ruby and I would go to her gardens today. She said she would pick me up, but I haven’t heard from her anymore.” 

Harry and Jay quickly glanced at each other. They both knew how important Ruby’s lessons were for Gil, even if it was just to escape to the peaceful gardens every once in a while. 

“You think she is scared of me?” Gil wondered out loud when neither of them responded. 

“She has no reason to be,” Jay quickly said. “Why would you even think that?” 

“People have been acting weird around me,” Gil said and stared at the ground for a moment. Jay frowned back at Harry, hoping he could give him a little more information. Harry only had his eyes set on Gil and leaned against him. 

“Well, what did you expect,” Harry said to him. “Why are you worried about that gal anyway? You know you don’t need her.” 

Gil shrugged and stared back at Harry for a moment. “I know, but it was really nice over there,” Gil said softly. “I really liked it.” 

“So that’s why you almost betrayed them all,” Harry responded with a smirk. 

“Seriously Hook, not helping!” Jay said back. He wasn’t sure what the two of them were talking about, but the saddened look on Gil’s face let him know something was clearly bothering him. Jay reckoned he had to think of something quick.

“You shouldn’t worry too much. Ruby will come around,” Jay said as hopeful as he could. “Why don’t we just grab something to eat?” Jay could already see a little change on Gil’s face when he mentioned food. 

Gil then slowly turned towards Jay, a slight smile already appearing back on his face.  
“Like pizza?” he said hopeful. 

Jay smiled back at him and simply shrugged. Gil had been really addicted to this new food since Jay introduced him to it a few days ago. “If that’s what you want.” Jay was glad to see his little plan worked as he saw an enthusiastic sparkle in Gil’s eyes once more. 

“You’re coming with us?” Gil asked towards Harry. 

“Why not. Someone got to keep an eye on Jay,” Harry responded, a little disappointed to see this didn’t frustrate Jay.

“Alright, let’s go,” Jay said, taking the first steps towards the village. He had to admit, he’d rather be alone with Gil. But if his boyfriend wanted to take the other pirate with them than he wouldn’t sulk on it. 

“Just a moment Jay,” Harry said, making Jay stop in his trace. “Do you really think we can leave our captain with Mal?” Jay send him an irritating glare and wondered if Harry was actually starting to pick a fight with him. 

“Now, forgive me for being sceptic,” Harry answered laughing to Jay’s glance. “This sudden proposition seems rather odd to me.” 

“It’s not odd at all,” Jay answered him, continuing their way back to the village. He was glad to see Gil quickly followed him this time. This made Harry quickly follow as well, since he didn’t want to be left behind. “Mal wants this to work and she’s willing to make every sacrifice for it.” 

“So now talking to us pirates is a sacrifice,” Harry said with a provoking smile on his face. 

“For me at least,” Jay said back, realizing Harry was definitely challenging him again.

“I’m not worried about Uma,” Gil said, interrupting their bickering and quickly walking in between them. “We all know she can stand her ground towards Mal.”

“Indeed,” Harry said and proudly wrapped his arm around Gil. “We pirates have always known who the real queen is.” Jay saw how Gil smiled back at Harry, reminding himself that he was indeed walking with two pirates. 

“If you’re so worried, why don’t you go back in there and protect your captain?” Jay said back, trying to suppress his frustration. “Or girlfriend or whatever she is to you.” 

Harry’s eyes narrowed by just hearing the word, but he made sure a smile remained on his face. “Girlfriend you say,” he softly spoke. 

“Uma has been too busy to make time for us,” Gil answered in Harry’s place. “Besides, Harry has a new girlfriend now.” 

Jay looked up in surprise. “Seriously? Who?” 

Harry wished he could sign towards Gil to shut his mouth, but he reckoned that every signal would probably be better understood by Jay than Gil. 

“I forgot her name,” Gil answered when he frowned to think clearly. “It’s that one girl we fought of when we came here. Who put everyone to sleep and such.” 

“Audrey?” Jay asked out in surprise. He looked over to Harry for some conformation. The lack of response of the pirate told him it had to be true and he immediately started laughing. 

“It is funny, it seems,” Harry responded annoyed to Jay’s laughter. 

“Yes, it is,” Jay responded amused. “Usually I would feel sorry for the girl, but this time I might even feel a little pity for you.” 

Harry rolled his eyes, but decided to not respond on it anymore. He didn’t have much to say on it. He couldn’t honestly say that Audrey was his type and telling him he liked the girl would also be a lie.

Jay still laughed as they passed the first houses of the village, but he quickly went quiet as he noticed something was off. The entire atmosphere suddenly felt grim, while people seem to be holding their breath or send some side-ways glares towards the three boys. Some of them even fled inside a shop or their house, while other just stared and pointed at them. Jay frowned as he noticed the sudden tension around them. He could also feel how Gil walked closer to him and even Harry went silent for a moment. 

“What’s wrong with them?” Jay asked out loud when he looked back at a group of people who had been intensely staring at them. 

“Well, the people of Auradon never seemed too keen to have some pirates around their village, but it’s getting worse since they heard about Gaston’s plans,” Harry answered him. 

Jay frowned as he tried to listen in to some random conversation. He could indeed clearly hear the words _‘Gaston'_ and _‘son'_ , as the mumbling man sneakily pointed a finger towards them. 

“I don’t think they like me that much,” Gil said, but he also send a slight smile towards Jay. 

Harry also simply shrugged, but Jay could feel the rage inside him as he started to realize what had been bothering Gil earlier. The people of Auradon literally turned their back on the boy, trying to avoid him and the rest of the pirates as much as possible. Jay understood that the two pirates were probably used to people hiding away when they walked by. It also reminded him of how people treated him when he first came to Auradon. Jay quickly concluded it had never been that bad, when he saw how a woman pushed her two children quickly inside the house when they passed by. 

“Why are people in Auradon so damn stupid?” Jay said out loud towards the woman. It pleased him to see the shocked expression on the woman’s face. She had heard him. 

“Well, Ben did tell them to be cautious of Gaston and his sons,” Harry answered nonchalant. “He just forgot to mention one of the sons is actually on their side.” 

“They’re still acting like a bunch of idiots,” Jay shouted. He hoped anyone in the city would hear him. “As if Gil hurt any of them.” 

Harry couldn’t hide the smile on his face. Gil probably didn’t even notice, but Harry saw how Jay was defending Gil in a passive-aggressive manner. It made him appreciate Jay once more as he walked with pride with the two other men through the streets of Auradon. 

“We could tell them how Gil broke that man’s arm,” he said with a smirk. 

“Not helping!” Jay immediately replied, reflecting his frustration on Harry once more. 

Harry noticed how Gil send him a concerned glance again. Gil wished Harry would stop mentioning it. He didn’t want to be reminded of it all the time, hearing the man’s screams through his head once more. Harry wrapped an arm around Gil’s shoulder, making Gil feel a little better again. At the same time Harry smiled up towards Jay, a fearless sparkle was reflecting in his eyes. Jay could feel his confidence rising inside him as well and decided to also wrap an arm around Gil. It didn’t matter what all those people thought of Gil, they would always be standing by his side. 

The blond pirate responded with a bright smile. He pulled both his boyfriend and his best mate closer to him when he laid his arms around their shoulders as well. Somehow it still stung when Gil saw how some other folks fled inside their houses. Fortunately they almost left the busy streets of the city behind them and they entered the green open park to which the restaurants were located. 

“You think all people of Auradon hate me now?” Gil questioned out loud, while he dropped his arms to his side again. 

“So what if they do?” Harry responded with a question, still walking close to Gil. 

“I bet Lonnie won’t be like that at all,” Jay answered the question instead. Gil looked a little bit more hopeful when he mentioned her. He still let his eyes scan the area, hoping he would recognize the car in which the Fitzherbert family always drove in. Gil then forced a smile on his face and nodded happily towards Jay. They had almost reached their destiny when a small voice suddenly called up behind them. 

“There you are,” Ruby said happily. The three boys turned around to see the little girl with the long, golden hair smiling brightly back at them. “I’ve been looking for you. I hope you didn’t forget our arrangement.” 

“No, I didn’t forget,” Gil happily said back to her. He already took a step towards her, but then turned around to look at Harry and Jay with a pleading look on his face. 

“Seems like we have pizza a little later today,” Jay answered Gil’s unspoken question, knowing Gil still needed permission for the smallest things. 

Gil immediately smiled brightly back at him and waved them off. Both Harry and Jay smiled when they saw Ruby didn’t flinch away from Gil at all, even though she looked really fragile compared to the robust pirate beside her. 

Jay quickly wiped the smile of his face, when he realized he somehow ended up alone with Harry after all. The two of them stood in awkward silence for a moment, both just staring at Gil that quickly disappeared after they turned a corner. 

“How about you and me are going to get that pizza,” Harry suddenly broke the silence. “We could call it a date. I promise I won’t tell Gil.” 

Jay snorted at the word date and already shook his head. “Listen,” he said, while he turned towards Harry. “I’m going to my favourite place and if you just happen to be there too, you’ll be lucky if I let you sit on the table next to mine.” 

A smirk immediately appeared on Harry’s face as he leaned in a little closer to Jay. “Alright, lead the way, bright eyes.” 

Jay decided to ignore the flirtatious undertone in Harry’s voice and continued his way to the pizzeria. Somehow he still had a smile on his face, when Harry went to walk beside him.


	2. Chapter 2

Gil walked over the green school campus with a large book underneath his arm. He had just come back from Ruby’s place in which Ruby had showed him their library. Usually Gil didn’t care much about books and libraries, but this one was really impressive. All the walls had been painted in brightly coloured patterns and images. Ruby showed him the gigantic shelf which was filled with books about flowers and nature. Gil immediately noticed the painted flowers and trees matched the subjects of the books in the shelfs. Books about underwater live were surrounded by a stormy sea with uprising waves. Gil quickly figured that books about animals would be close to the paintings of the horse and the dog. 

Ruby proudly told him that she and her mom had painted it all themselves. Gil had looked at her in disbelief, wondering out loud how they would’ve been able to reach the ceiling, since it was covered with paintings as well. Ruby had just smiled at him, before she made a loop of her hair and threw it in the air. The loop got stuck behind a lever and suddenly Gil could notice multiple levers, hooks and pulleys hanging everywhere through the entire room. Gil was impressed when he saw how Ruby elevated herself with her own hair. 

“It’s also a great way to get to the book you want,” she had said to him high above the ground. For a moment she looked through the shelves, running her finger over multiple book covers, until she had finally found the one she had been looking for. Gil saw her coming back down with the book in her hands. 

“Here, you can have it if you like,” Ruby had said while she reached it towards him. Gil had been stunned once more. Not by the book, but because she was still so generous towards him. She had still taken him inside her house and both her parents seemed to be fine with it. Not once they showed any sign that he wasn’t welcome anymore or that they feared him. Unlike back in Auradon, as Gil could notice once more how people went silent when he passed by. Gil had never thought he would be longing back to a library. 

Gil knew that Harry enjoyed the frightful looks on people’s faces. As long as they were backing off Harry knew he had control over them and he could take whatever he wanted from them. Gil had to admit, he had used this method quite a lot on the Isle. He just had to mention Gaston was his dad or that he was part of the pirate crew and most people immediately gave him what he wanted. Gil had used this to his advantage, until he finally realized they only cooperated in the hope he would leave them unharmed. After this discovery Gil tried getting around without using fear as a weapon, even though it still had been the easiest way to get food when he had no money to show for it. 

In Auradon Gil also learned it didn’t really matter anymore if he fed on those fears, when two guys quickly made room for him when he passed by. Since Ben had announced to be watchful for Gaston and his sons, everybody suddenly seemed to recognize him. As if the word _violent_ was written on his face. But Gil didn’t want to hurt people anymore. He had never wanted it to begin with, but in Auradon it should not be necessary, like it had been on the Isle of the Lost. 

Gil looked down at the book he carried in his hands, for a moment staring at the multiple flowers that were pictured on the cover. He recognized the yellow daffodil, the lovely daisy and of course the bright red rose. He didn’t feel like going back to the pirate ship just yet, knowing he wouldn’t be able to flip through the book in peace there. Jonas and Gonzo had been really annoying lately and Gil feared they would take the book if he showed it to them. Gil honestly wanted to go to Evie’s cottage, meeting up with Jay and show him what he had learned today. But Uma and Harry commanded him to stop slacking off, so he figured it would be best to go back to the Lost Revenge soon.

Gil decided to sit on a lonely bench underneath a tree, a relatively hidden place where not a lot of people would notice him. He didn’t want to scare people away and also didn’t want others to pry on him. He rather ignored all that as he opened the book on his lap. Gil couldn’t believe his eyes once more when he started flipping through the pages. He thought Ruby had shown him all the different plants by now, but the book told him he only knew a handful. Gil turned some other pages, this time searching for a particular one. He stopped when he reached the chapter about the desert plants and trees. He looked down at a very peculiar plant. It didn’t have any leaves, but just many thick spines sticking out the long green stem. Cactuses they were called. 

After Gil asked her about plants in the desert, Ruby regretfully admitted they didn’t have any of those kinds in their garden. That’s why she brought him to their library, so she could still show them to him. That’s where Ruby gave Gil the book. Gil remembered how she stood before him with the book reaching towards him. She had looked at him with a kind smile and compassionate green eyes. She didn’t give the book to him out of fear or in the hope he would leave, she had done so because she wanted to help him. Ruby had showed him the chapter with the desert plants, explaining to him what she knew, while they looked at the different drawings and pictures of the plants together. Gil smiled again when he sat underneath the tree on his own, grateful to learn not everyone would ran off by the sight of him. 

Belle looked at him from a distance again, but this time with less hesitation. She had wanted to talk to him, wondering what was going on in his head. She had hoped she would’ve been able to talk to him in the safety of her own palace during their meeting. She had almost given up when Ben informed her the guys had already left and only Uma and Mal were still in the meeting room. But Belle had quickly made up her mind. She refused to hide behind the castle walls, frightened that Gaston would suddenly show up. She had always spend days through the village among the town folk and she wouldn’t stop doing so. She didn’t grant Gaston the pleasure to think he had any control over her. So she went searching through the City of Auradon in hope to find Gil somewhere. Finally she had found him, curled up on a bench in a shady place and, to her amazement, reading a book. 

Gil quickly looked up, when he sensed someone coming nearer. This time he immediately recognized the woman as Belle and he quickly looked away again. He acted like he was focusing on his book, showing he wasn’t looking for any trouble. It usually worked on the Isle. Breaking eye contact made people less hostile. Which was one of the reasons why Harry liked to stare at people intensely. 

“Gil?” Her soft voice made the blond look up, still not sure how to react. She didn’t look mad, like the others had been. She actually looked rather concerned and also a little bit unsure. 

“Hi Belle,” Gil greeted her back and slowly a smile appeared on the woman’s face. 

“You’re reading a book?” Belle carefully started the conversation. She tried to peek at the pages, hoping to see what kind of book Gil was reading. Gil chuckled a bit, already feeling a bit more at ease. He had been certain she would immediately ask him about his dad, even though he would’ve not been able to give her any answers. 

“Actually I’m just looking at the images,” Gil confessed. “I never understood how people can get through a book without pictures.” Belle laughed a little, for the first time seeing some resemblances to Gaston. 

“You could use your imagination,” Belle answered him. It had been her usual reply. She always responded in a similar matter when kids told her they didn’t like reading, but rather watched a movie. Most kids shrugged it off and turned back towards the television anyway. Gil however frowned up to her, thinking about it for a short moment. 

“I’ve tried to imagine what the outside world looks like for years now,” Gil said to her. “I want to really experience it from now on.” 

Belle smile slightly to the boy again, a little guilt filling up inside her. Gil wasn’t like the kids that were born in Auradon, even though he also seemed to differ from the kids that came from the Isle. 

“You’re right,” she said softly to him. Her feeling of guilt became even stronger when she saw the gentle smile on the boy’s face. 

“How are you feeling?” Belle asked him after a short silence. It wasn’t just because she wanted to change the subject. She wanted to know how he was doing, it had keeping her up late at night. It had been why she had been looking for him and why she wanted to talk to him. 

“I’m alright,” Gil answered and simply shrugged. Belle took a step towards the boy. She had not been looking for him all day to get such a simplistic answer. 

“All those things that happened between you and your dad cannot been easy for you,” Belle continued and this time she could immediately see the change on his face. Gil looked down at the book on his lap, his eyes filled with guilt. He didn’t want to talk about what happened anymore, even though he knew it had been inevitable. 

“I wanted to know if you were doing okay?” Belle continued and Gil looked up to her. Her voice sounded soft, not strict or mad. For a split second Gil wondered if she really cared for him, but he quickly scrapped this idea. 

“I’m doing alright,” Gil repeated himself. Belle sighed and realized this method wasn’t working as she had hoped. Instead Belle peeked over the pages once more and could read the word _‘desert’_. 

“You’re interested in the desert?” Belle asked cheerful, hoping she could make the conversation light-hearted again. It seemed to work, since the hurt quickly disappeared from Gil’s eyes. 

“It’s actually the plants in the desert,” Gil answered her and turned the book inviting towards her, as if he wanted to share it with her. Belle took her change to sit beside him underneath the tree. Belle was still surprised when Gil softly shoved the book towards her. 

“Jay comes from the desert, so I asked Ruby if she could tell me more about it,” Gil explained to her. “I wondered what Jay’s world looks like, even though he told me he’s never been there himself. I wonder if he knows about cactuses.” Gil shoved the book even closer to Belle and pointed at the drawing of the plant. “They’re actually really interesting. They don’t have any leaves, but they still can grow these pink flowers while blooming. They also barely need any water to survive.” 

Belle could see the wonder in his eyes. From their first meeting Belle had learned Gil showed no violence at all. Once more the boy opened up to her and instead of the arrogant nonsense of his dad, he was talking passionately about a desert plan. 

“Jay?” Belle softly repeated the name. “You mean one of Mal’s friend? The boy who became such a great asset to the Auradon Fighting Knights team.”  
“That’s the one,” Gil answered, suddenly beaming with pride. “He actually has this huge tourney game over a few days. With Jay on their team the Knights are definitely going to win.” 

Belle smiled with him. She could notice how talking about Jay gave him a certain glow. A dreamy smile on his face while he looked at nothing in particular. Belle had seen certain expression before. It usually meant said person was in love. Belle couldn’t help to feel a little concerned, remembering how Gaston acted on his feelings of ‘love’. 

“You don’t think they’ll win?” Gil suddenly asked and Belle looked up. She hadn’t even noticed she had been lost in her own thoughts, probably with a worried expression on her face. 

“He immediately choose your side,” Belle spoke her thoughts out loud. “After Jay told us that you have been siding with your dad, he said right after you would do us no harm.”  
The same hurtful expression appeared back on Gil’s face, but this time he didn’t look down. The mentioning of Jay even brought a slight smile on his face. 

“I didn’t mean to,” Gil softly spoke. Belle could see the honestly in his eyes, just like she had seen the first time they had spoken. All doubt she might have had faded away. 

“I know,” Belle answered him. “Jay already convinced me.” Gil dared to look up at her again only to see she actually smiled at him. 

“Jay always does that,” Gil said to her. “Jay always knows what to say to others.” 

Belle could see the boy’s face glowing once more, making it obvious there was definitely something going on between the two of them. She didn’t want to pry, still a little concerned what his reaction would be. The boy might get mad at her if she suggested he was in love with another guy. 

“You seem very fond of him,” Belle tried carefully. Gil turned towards her, suddenly smiling brightly at her. 

“Yes, he’s my boyfriend,” he answered without hesitation. 

Belle blinked in confusion. She wasn’t surprised by the answer, but she was by the way he had spoken. There was no doubt in his voice, no fear in his eyes anymore. Belle then smiled up to the boy. Gaston’s son was in love with another boy and somehow it made her filled with joy. Belle watched the kid she had feared for quite a while, scared for what he might be capable of. But all she could see were eyes filled with wonder and a heart that was experiencing it's probably first love. 

“I could tell,” Belle said smiling to him. Even though Gil had said it so confidently before, Belle could still see how he let out a sigh of relief. She was glad to see him smiling again, reassuring her he really was doing alright. 

“What else can you tell me about the desert plants?” Belle asked and Gil’s face lit up immediately. He flipped through some pages and then pointed at the drawing of a plant with many small, green leaves and pink flowers sticking out on several places. Belle could read the name _oleander_ besides the drawing. 

“This plant looks beautiful, but Ruby told me it’s actually really poisonous,” Gil started his explanation about the plant. 

Belle enjoyed listening to his stories, as it seems the boy was quite talkative. He didn’t shy away anymore, but also listened carefully when Belle read a part of the informational text that was written besides the images. Belle still didn’t understand what drew her towards the boy or why she suddenly felt responsible for his wellbeing. She could only tell she was indeed drawn towards the kid and somehow the kindness in his eyes and his eager to learn gave her hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those two are still so challenging to write. Somehow it’s very hard to estimate how they would react to each other. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed chapter 2.  
> Thank you to everyone who already showed support to the first chapter. It really means a lot to me.


	3. Chapter 3

Jay stood confidently on the tourney field. He wore his full tourney equipment, including his helmet and his blue jersey with number 8 on his back. The tourney ball balanced on the end of the stick he was holding tight. He was completely focused, while he waited for the signal. The sun started to make an appearance from behind the trees and illumined the field. Jay trained as often as he could, which included early in the morning. He however didn’t understand how he got Carlos and Lonnie so mad to help him and man the two Dragon Cannons on both sides of the field. Besides the three of them the field was empty and quiet. Jay smiled to himself, silently appreciating his two best friends for being there with him. 

Carlos blew the whistle and Jay started his sprint over the Kill Zone. He had to run over and back, keeping the ball in close range all the time. Then aiming at the net and idealistically score. Jay could hear the shots and saw both the projectiles flying towards him from both sides. He whipped the little ball into the air, while he jumped over the first Dragon Fire and immediately had to duck for the other. He caught the ball with the stick, but immediately heard the shots of the cannons again. Jay smirked at himself. Carlos and Lonnie would not make it easy for him, just like Jay expected of them. 

Jay had finally reached the end of the Kill Zone, but first had to make a quick movement to the right to dodge both projectiles. It caused him to drop the ball for a split second. Jay quickly picked it up and turned around to make his way back over the Kill Zone. For a moment Jay was surprised to suddenly see a fourth figure on the field, standing between him and the net. Usually Jay would’ve been annoyed, but this time he felt an even greater urge to rush over the field towards the person. It was Gil, for once not accompanied by Harry or any other pirate. 

Jay got his attention back to the game when he heard the Dragon Cannons once more and Jay quickly stormed off over the field. One projectile missed its target completely, while the other flew right towards him. Just in time Jay jumped up, his legs maneuvering over the Dragon Fire. He picked up the ball in mid-air again, but saw a last projectile flying towards him in the corner of his eye. Jay quickly dodge it and had finally reached the end of the Kill Zone again. Gil was getting close as he stood there in the golden morning sun, a bright smile on his face. Jay tried to focus on the tourney goal again and whipped the ball into the air. With a firm sweep he hit the ball with his stick and made it flying towards the net, only to be quickly blocked by a strong hand. It had to hurt a lot, but Gil didn’t even flinch when he caught it with only his leather glove to protect his hand. 

Jay wasn’t even disappointed as he took off his helmet and threw it on the ground with his tourney stick. Gil already reached out towards him as Jay fell in his arms, a little out of breath from the exercise. For a moment Jay let his head rest on Gil’s shoulder and he could feel how Gil placed a small kiss on the top of his head. Jay smiled, but he was still quick to push Gil away from him. 

“You ruined my practice,” Jay said laughing and pointed at the ball that Gil still held in his hand. Gil smiled back at him when he threw the ball to Jay. 

“You said you needed some help practicing the other day,” Gil replied. “So I thought I’d come by to see if I could help.” 

“Of course you can,” Jay answered. “But first we got to find you some equipment. You can’t catch a tourney ball with your bare hands.” 

“Yea, that actually hurt a lot,” Gil admitted, while he carefully moved all his fingers again. Jay laughed at him for a moment. 

“Yes, obviously. Why do you think we wear all this armour, airhead.” Jay playfully ruffed over Gil’s head with his huge protection gloves on. Gil ducked away from the glove, actually moving closer to Jay, so he could place a tender kiss on his lips. Jay felt how he had to blush, being fully aware that both Carlos and Lonnie witnessed how Gil held him so gently. 

“I see we’re already taking a break,” Carlos teased when he walked up towards the two. 

“We’re not,” Jay stated as he quickly picked up his helmet and tourney stick again. “We’re just going to find some equipment for Gil and then we’ll continue. Gil is going to be mine goalie.” A frown immediately appeared on Gil’s face as he stared back to Jay. 

“You’re going to stand in front of the net to prevent the ball getting into the goal,” Carlos quickly explained as he could see Gil had no idea what a goalie meant. 

“That would actually be a great idea,” Lonnie joined the conversation and then turned towards Gil. “That was an amazing save. And even with your bare hands.” Gil smiled up to Lonnie, glad she still treated him the same as before. She even playfully hit him against his shoulder to show her support. 

“It’s great to see you again,” Lonnie continued to Gil. “Where have you been all this time?” 

“Oh, something happened,” Gil suddenly said when he reminded himself. “Mal gave Uma permission to repair the Lost Revenge in the shipyard. So we don’t have to do it ourselves anymore. Which means Harry has no chores anymore that would keep me bound to the ship.” 

“So you finally got some free time to help me with my big game tomorrow,” Jay said cheerful. 

“I have,” Gil confirmed smiling. “It’s only been a real mystery would told Mal. Harry accused me for telling her for a moment, but it really wasn’t me this time.” 

“Yea, that’s a real mystery. Who could’ve possibly gave her that idea?” Jay said sarcastically. Gil smiled to him, knowing damn well who had passed the information on to Mal. He had just decided to keep it from Harry this time. 

“So many things are happening at once,” Carlos said and ignored the eyeing between Gil and Jay. “I got to say, I admire how Mal handles things.” 

“I’m just really glad they didn’t blow off the match tomorrow,” Jay said, once again relieved. 

“Only the future will tell if it was a wise decision,” Lonnie said unsure. She loved watching tourney, but her warrior instinct told her Auradon was in a vulnerable spot for any villain attacks when so many people were gathered at one spot to enjoy the game. So she volunteered to join the guards for one night, to make sure nothing would happen. Jay understood why she was so cautious, but he still shrugged it off. 

“Well, at least you got the pirates on your side now,” Gil added enthusiastic. “Uma absolutely won’t turn down Mal’s proposal.” 

Lonnie frowned up to the guys, trying the keep up on the conversation. “What are you talking about?” she asked. 

“They didn’t tell you yet?” Gil said surprised. He send a disappointed glance to both Carlos and Jay. “Mal is going to make Uma the queen of the Isle of the Lost.” 

“Wow,” Lonnie said as her eyes grew big from amazement. “After Uma threatened Auradon for so long. Didn’t expect that. You pirates are probably very happy.” 

Gil just shrugged it off. “Not really a surprise. Harry said it is confirmation for us and that the pirates crowned her as their queen a long time ago.” 

Jay snorted beside him. “Sounds like Harry is still being full of himself.” 

“Not at all,” Gil defended his best friend. “You should’ve seen Uma’s smile after he said that. They were just dancing together and holding each other. Just like old times. It was actually really nice to see them like that again.” 

“Things are okay over there?” Carlos asked when he saw Gil’s troubled face. 

“Harry has been acting weird lately,” Gil answered. “Last night his phone rang a couple of times, but he just ignored all her calls. I believe it was Audrey, but I’m not sure. He didn’t pick up, though.” Both Lonnie and Carlos frowned in disbelief. Jay couldn’t help laughing again. 

“Harry is dating Audrey,” Jay answered their questioning looks. “Beats me why he even entered a relationship with her. It’s obvious he doesn’t even care about her.” 

Carlos wanted to reply, but then saw a fifth figure walking on the field towards them. He quickly went quiet, knowing Chad could still act strangely when Audrey was mentioned in a conversation. 

“Getting ready for the big match tomorrow, team captain?” Chad said to Jay, not even bothering to greet the rest of them. 

“Yea, I train whenever I can,” Jay replied casually. Carlos smiled as he could see the title of team captain actually still made Jay beam with pride. It had been a while since Ben had quit the team, but Jay still couldn’t believe he was entrusted in taking his place. Chad at last turned his eyes to the other three present. He unconsciously took a step backwards when he saw Gil standing in the middle of the group. 

“Aren’t you…?” Chad pointed his finger towards Gil. He looked curious and disturbed at the same time as he took a closer look. Jay was quickly reminded why he was usually bothered by Chad’s presence. “You are Gil? You are Gaston’s son everybody has been talking about?” 

“I am,” Gil simply confirmed. Even he heard the arrogant undertone in Chad’s voice. Carlos and Jay looked at each other for a moment. They were both ready to step in if Chad took it too far. 

“So there are no guards to keep an eye on you?” Chad continued. He looked around as if he was really searching for some guards for protection. “They really just let you walk around freely here? Okay, I guess we have to thank our brilliant king Ben for that.” 

“Why don’t you start warming up, Chad?” Lonnie said to the prince and made a protective stand in front of Gil. She could see how Jay did the same. Chad looked back at Lonnie as if he hadn’t notice her there before. 

“Unbelievable,” Chad said before he turned back to Jay. “I told you that making her captain of the R.O.A.R. team would result in her wanting to join the Fighting Knights as well. Can’t believe I encounter both a Villain’s Kid and a girl on the tourney field so early in the morning.” 

Jay and Carlos frowned to each other, not sure if Chad had forgotten they were both VK’s as well. 

Carlos quickly shook his head before he walked up to Chad, refusing to let it escalate. “Let’s go back to the locker room. I got to grab some equipment. Seems like you still need to grab yours as well.” 

“I rather not,” Chad replied, even though he still walked with Carlos. “All that armour makes me real sweaty. Especially the helmet, don’t want to mess up my hair today.” 

Lonnie let out a deep sigh when Chad was out of hearing distance. “I’m going to punch that guy in the face one day,” she said annoyed. She then turned towards Gil, who didn’t seem to be as upset as she was. He had his head slightly tilled as he frowned at the guy that was leaving the field with Carlos.

“Who is that guy?” he asked confused. 

“That’s Chad,” Jay answered him. “Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s just an arrogant prick who thinks he’s special because his dad is a king.” 

“He has no idea what he’s talking about most of the time,” Lonnie added, still being frustrated by Chad’s words. Most of the guys had already accepted her as the team captain of the fencing R.O.A.R. team, following Jay’s example. Somehow Chad was still giving her crap about it, even though she had proven herself capable of leading the men many times since then. It bothered her even more that Chad started to talk down to Gil as well, but fortunately Gil just shrugged it off. He didn’t feel threatened at all by the guy named Chad. He turned towards Jay, quickly snatching the little tourney ball from him. 

“Could you explain the rules to me again?” Gil asked, while playing with the ball in his hands. “This is going to be my first time playing. I want to do it right.” Jay quickly forgot all about Chad and smiled up to Gil. 

“First rule,” Jay said strict and took the ball from Gil again. “There’ll be no playing if the right equipment isn’t worn.” 

~~~~~

During the course of the day it became more crowded in the alethic area. The cheerleaders practiced their moves for the big match the next day and most of the jocks were present as well. Chad however had his eyes only set on Gil and Jay. It wasn’t just because he didn’t trust Gaston’s son in their middle, but also because they didn’t seem to leave each other’s company. Gil had borrowed the full body armour and they were practicing some movements. For a while it seemed like Jay wasn’t practicing for the big game anymore, but instead showed Gil how he should be holding the tourney stick to play himself. 

Chad doubted he was the only one who noticed how they quickly touched each other arm more than necessary. They stared at each other a little too long, even when the other person was staring back, a smile on their faces every time they did so. 

Chad narrowed his eyes as he watched how Jay laid one hand on Gil’s shoulder and the other hand on his chest. He pushed Gil a little backwards, showing Gil how he had a better stand with the tourney stick in his hands. Gil turned his head towards Jay, what caused their faces to get very close to each other. It was just for a split second, but it definitely happened. And both Gil and Jay didn’t seem to mind at all, as they both smiled again. Chad forgot doing his laps, he didn’t feel like it anyway, and decided to walk up to Carlos who actually tried to manage some pull-ups. 

“What’s up with those two?” Chad asked Carlos without any introduction. 

Carlos looked down in confusion, but then noticed Chad pointing towards Gil and Jay. He let go off the bar and landed on his feet besides Chad. 

“What is it now, Chad?” He asked annoyed. He had tried to remain peaceful so far, but the tone in Chad’s voice bothered him. He didn’t like Chad, not even a little bit. Besides that he already knew what this was about. Carlos was already fed up with it. 

“What’s going on between them?” Chad repeated his question. “They’re acting like some kind off couple.” 

“That’s because they are,” Carlos simply answered, hoping that Chad wouldn’t make a big deal out of it if he was casual about it. Chad still got a surprising grin on his face and pointed at the two guys once more. Carlos was glad that Jay was too busy with his exercise and Gil to notice Chad at all. Otherwise the entire situation would probably be a lot worse. 

“Gil and Jay a couple?” Chad asked. “You mean like really a couple? Like a couple couple?” 

Carlos rolled his eyes, wondering how Chad could still act surprise after he guessed it himself. “Yes Chad, like a real actual couple.” 

“But wait, that means,” Chad got this stupid grin once more and his eyes grew wide for a second. He bend closer to Carlos. A little too close for Carlos’s liking. “That means Jay is gay?” Chad asked in an exaggerated whispering tone. 

“Yes, they’re gay,” Carlos said back, taking a step away from Chad. “You have a problem with that?” 

“Oh no, not at all,” Chad answered. “As long as they won’t ever act the same with me.” 

“Trust me, they won’t. Neither of them is ever going to be that desperate.” 

“But wait,” Chad said again, as if he didn’t hear Carlos’s comeback. “All those girls who are after Jay. Someone needs to tell them. They should really be after someone else.” 

Carlos rolled his eyes again. 

“I mean, someone has to look out for them,” Chad quickly explained when he noticed Carlos’s disapproval. “Don’t want all their hearts to be broken.” 

“No, that would be terrible,” Carlos said sarcastically. Chad didn’t notice the tone Carlos spoke as he gladly nodded in agreement. 

“I’m going to tell them,” Chad said enthusiastic. “Thanks buddy.” With that Chad walked away towards a few of the other jocks who were in the middle of practice.

Carlos frowned annoyed and quickly walked up towards Gil and Jay. It seemed like they were having fun as Gil tried to hit the ball towards Jay with the tourney stick. Gil was definitely not as agile as Jay, but he still managed to put a lot of force into it. Jay caught the ball with ease, but he still looked proud to his boyfriend. Gil was picking it up quickly. Carlos didn’t want to ruin their moods. They deserved it after everything that happened, but Carlos knew it was better if he gave Jay a heads up. 

“Hey Carlos,” Gil greeted him happily when he noticed him. 

“Hi,” Carlos slowly said. “I need to tell you something.” 

Jay could sense Carlos had something important to say. “What’s up?” he asked seriously. 

“I just told Chad about your relationship,” Carlos confessed to them. “I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have. But he asked me directly and I refuse to lie about it.” 

It was obvious that Jay wasn’t happy about it, as he sighed annoyed and swung his tourney stick over his shoulder. Gil frowned to Jay, since he didn’t understand what the problem was. 

“It’s alright, bro,” Jay said to Carlos. “Had to come out one day, so who cares.” Jay quickly looked up over to Chad, who had decided to take a break on the tribune. 

“Don’t worry,” Gil said and softly pushed Jay against his shoulder. “You said yourself not to pay any attention to him.” 

Jay smiled slightly towards Gil. He didn’t want to be bothered with it, but he was. He never wanted to keep his relationship with Gil a secret, but he still didn’t want to get exposed either. He looked around, wondering if anyone else had noticed yet. It made him feel vulnerable. And if Jay hated anything, it was feeling vulnerable. He straightened his shoulders, took his tourney stick firmly in his hands and took a stand opposite of Gil.

“Try to hit the ball towards me as hard as you can,” Jay challenged Gil. Gil frowned up to Jay, not sure what to do. He send a quick glance towards Carlos, who simply shrugged in response. 

“Come on,” Jay commanded Gil. “We did this ten times already. Show me what you got.” 

Gil nodded and again took the tourney stick in his hands, even though this time a little unsure. He could sense the change in Jay’s mood and he didn’t like it. With just half his strength he hit the ball towards Jay. It didn’t take much for Jay to catch the ball, this time with his glove. He looked up at Chad again, while Gil still frowned up to him. Chad had his eyes fixed on him as well, a cheerful smirk on his face as he waved towards Jay. Jay then turned back towards Gil, ignoring his worried expression. 

“Again,” Jay just said to him. “And this time put a little bit more muscle into it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for being late again.   
> Nevertheless I hope you all enjoy this little chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Jay put on his tourney equipment in the locker room. He had been looking forward to this match against the Sherwood Forest Falcons for months. The last few days he had been practicing every single hour of the day. But when the moment was there Jay wasn’t even thinking about the game. He secretly scanned his eyes over all his teammates, since it felt like they were all glaring at him. In reality it was only Chad who actually had his eyes on him. Jay tried to ignore it, reminding himself it was far more important to win this tourney match. 

Jay knew he had to prove himself. He had to shine on the tourney field, so it would be more likely that Little John, the Falcons trainer, would recruit him for their team when Jay applied for the university in Sherwood. He had to prove he was good enough if he ever wanted to join the professional tourney team. There were no distractions allowed this evening. Still Jay couldn’t stop thinking about Chad for some reason. He shouldn’t care that Chad knew about him and Gil, but somehow he did. Jay felt even more uneased when he noticed Chad walked up to him and sat beside him on the bench. 

“You look tense, Jay,” he started the conversation. 

“Well, big match coming up,” Jay answered casually. He tried to hide his discomfort behind a confident smile, but the grin on Chad’s face told him it was in vain. Chad moved in closer to him, looking over to the other teammates in the locker room. 

“Just so you know, I haven’t told anyone yet,” Chad softly spoke to Jay. Jay crunched his teeth. He wasn’t sure if he should be happy about it or not. 

“I’m not sure what shocks me more,” Chad continued. “The fact that it is Gaston’s son or that it is a guy.” 

“I don’t care what you think, Chad,” Jay said back. Jay wished his words were true, but he still looked around, making sure no one overheard their conversation. 

“Why did you never tell us you were gay?” Chad suddenly asked straight up. Jay turned towards Chad and just looked at him for a moment, unwilling to answer the question. It was none of his damn business to begin with.

“Alright team, time to hit the field!” Jay was glad to be saved by coach Jenkins who was calling for his team. Jay grabbed his tourney stick and as team captain lead his teammates towards the field. He was ready for this battle, even though he could feel Chad’s breath in his neck. Jay saw how all the other boys nodded at him and some gave him a pat on the back. They trusted him. Jay had brought them victory before and he would do so again. 

They walked outside and entered the field. “We count on you,” one of the defenders said to Jay just before he left for one of the cheerleaders. He kissed his girlfriend in front of the crowd and suddenly Jay could feel a little sting. For a moment he wished he could kiss Gil like that as well. Without a care in world, even though hundreds of eyes would be watching them. 

“If they only knew,” Chad suddenly said beside him. A laughter escaped Chad and Jay send him a death glare. He then quickly turned away from Chad and forced a smile on his face. He walked towards the cheerleaders who were already calling his name, their blue and golden pom poms waving in the air. 

Gil stood beside Carlos in the middle of the cheering crowd. He saw how Jay mended in in the groups of enthusiastic girls. They hang over him, all trying to get his attention with fluttering words. Jay played along, rewarding their praises with a smile. He waved back at the girls who stood to far away, as he made sure all the girls got some attention from him. 

“Don’t worry about the girls,” Carlos said, raising his voice so Gil could hear him. He assumed Gil wouldn’t be too happy to see his boyfriend getting all this attention. “This always happens before and after an important game. Jay is just playing along.” 

“It’s alright,” Gil said and Carlos was relieved to see Gil still smiled. Just like Jay he had been looking forward to this game for weeks. It was the first big tourney game Gil would experience and he was impressed by everything that was happening. 

“They know they can’t win without him, so of course they like him,” Gil said smiling, while he kept his eyes fixed on Jay. Gil then saw how Jay let his eyes glide over all the people on the tribune, searching for that one person. 

It didn’t take long before he saw Gil standing out in the crowd and he raised his tourney stick up to him. Even from that distance Jay could see how Gil smiled to him and gave him two thumps up. All the cheering girls disappeared in the background and even Chad didn’t matter anymore. A firm hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and Jay was annoyed when he noticed it was Chad once more. 

“No funny business during the game,” Chad warned him. “My dad is here today. I need to make him proud.” Jay shook the hand of his shoulder and turned towards the rest of the team. 

“We are going to win this thing!” he shouted to all of them. All his teammates cheered with their captain, raising their tourney sticks in the air. Jay nodded towards Chad, just before he put his helmet on and took his position on the field. He didn’t like Chad at all, but he knew he could rely on the guy during a match. He wanted to win just as badly as he did as they both waited impatiently for the starting signal.

The match didn’t start as planned, since the Falcons scored the first goal. Jay cursed to himself as he saw the ball flying past their goalie into the net. Jay still praised his team, making sure none of them felt discouraged. He made a strong stand on the field, determined to receive the Long Ball from their goalie. Jay saw the ball flying his way and he ran towards it, catching it with his tourney stick. He wanted to turn around, making an attempt of the opposing goal. Too late he saw the green and yellow figure running his way and before Jay had any change to react the figure ran into him and knocked him onto the ground. For a split second Jay was disorientated. It didn’t happen too often that he was knocked down, even though it was a common practice of the sport. 

Jay could hear the girls encouraging him from the side line, but he didn’t even bother to look at them. He send a quick glance at the crowd on the tribunes, right to the spot where he had seen Gil earlier. He was still there, calling his name as well. It was like Jay could hear his voice above all others when he stood up and started chasing the bastard that had knocked him down. He and Gil had been practicing the entire time last day. When the sun was setting Gil told him he was sure Jay would bring their team to victory. There was no doubt in his mind. Jay seemed to fly over the field and saw how one of his teammates tackled the opponent. It had been Chad, who quickly kicked the ball towards Jay since he lay on the ground on top of the opponent. 

Jay noticed he wasn’t the only one going for the ball, since a green/yellow flash moved towards him once more. Jay made a quick somersault, making his opponent trip over his body and also grabbing the ball from the ground. Jay quickly stood back on his feet again and ran towards the opposing net. Opponents were closing in on him as the net came nearer. Jay quickly noticed one of his teammates who would have a clear shot on the net. Jay send the ball flying over his opponents to his teammate. With an accurate sweep his teammate hit the ball towards the net and resulted in the first goal for the Fighting Knights. 

The blue golden crowd jumped up and screamed like there was no tomorrow. Jay could swear once more that he could hear Gil’s voice above all others. Without looking up he could see him standing proudly in the middle of the crowd. Jay could feel a rush of adrenaline through his body. He swore to himself this would be a match Gil would never forget. 

Too soon the sound of the whistle was to be heard, signing the end of the tourney match. A quick glance towards the scoring board told Jay what he already knew; they had won. After they made it a tie, the Fighting Knights scored two more times, resulting in an end score of 3-1. 

Jay was pleased with himself, since he made the last goal and two assists. He had showed what he was capable off and he could see his teammates circling around him. They jumped on each other’s shoulders, shouting loudly and celebrating their victory. Jay took the helmet from his head and stood eye to eye with Chad again. Chad smiled euphorically, while his hair stuck was to his forehead due to the sweat. He walked up to Jay and laid an arm around his shoulder. 

“You were great,” Chad complimented Jay loudly. Jay could even tell it was an honest compliment. “You know, the team might even forgive you for dating that Gaston guy after this.” Jay even had to laugh at the remark and he already shook his head. 

“Save it, Chad,” Jay simple responded, even though he still smiled back at him. His attention was with his other teammates, who were greeting their girlfriends and celebrated their victory with another kiss. Jay wasn’t even listening to Chad anymore. He patted Chad on his shoulder, causing the other guy to flinch in pain a little. 

“You played great as well,” Jay simply complimented before he walked away. 

He let his eyes scan the tribunes yet again, but the guy he was looking for wasn’t on the same spot anymore. It felt like he could still hear his voice calling out for him. Through all the noise of the cheering girls, the loud trumpets and the shouting guys around him he could still hear that voice, saying that he believed in him. Through the flashes of blue and gold Jay could already see his joyful smile and gentle eyes. 

It didn’t take long before Jay had actually found him, standing in the middle of the crowd. Jay could see that Gil had been waiting for him, standing in the front row with Carlos at his side. Jay walked passed the cheerleaders, who still tried to get his attention. He even walked straight pass his coach, who actually wanted to tell him how proud he was. Jay dropped his helmet and tourney stick on the ground and took a short sprint towards the person he wanted the most. 

It might have been the happiness from winning the match or still the rush and excitement of playing. Maybe it was just because Jay was done with being pushed down. Or maybe it was just those hazel eyes that encouraged him once more. Jay didn’t hesitate anymore when he jumped in Gil’s arms and wrapped his legs around Gil’s waist. 

Gil had caught him, of course. Gil would never let him fall. Always hold him tight when he needed it. And when he didn’t need it, Gil probably would still hold him just because he wanted to. Jay could feel Gil’s strong hands on his lower back as he smiled down on him. Their faces were very close together, since Jay had his arms wrapped around Gil’s neck and looked into those bright hazel eyes. Gil didn’t even need to say he was proud or happy, his eyes told Jay everything he needed to know. Jay bend even closer and for a moment didn’t care how many people were watching when he placed a kiss on Gil’s mouth. His fingers tangled in the blond hair, his nose stroking the pale skin. Jay had fallen in love with this guy. It didn’t matter whose son he was, he had fallen in love with him. 

Jay opened his eyes again when their lips parted. Gil still smiled up to him. He had never cared about who might’ve been watching. He carefully put Jay back on the ground and quickly kissed him again. This time he was able to gently touch Jay’s cheek. Jay slowly became aware of all the people staring at them. Jay shook his head and grabbed Gil’s hand. They walked up towards Carlos, who had been looking at them as well. Carlos just slightly raised his eyes. He had decided not to say anything about it, even though the huge smile on his face gave away how he felt. 

“Great game,” Carlos complimented Jay. “Told you that you guys don’t need me to win.” Jay laughed back at him, secretly grateful that Carlos didn’t mention what just occurred. 

“Couldn’t have done it without you helping me practice,” Jay said back to his best friend. 

“But before you do anything else…,” Carlos said, his voice suddenly sounded a lot more serious and his smile had disappeared. “There is someone else here to see you.” 

Jay frowned up for a moment. He looked around, expecting to see Mal or Lonnie somewhere. He then recognized the tall man, wearing a red robe and an old fashioned turban. Jay felt a lump in his throat when he started to realize he didn’t just play in front of Gil and Little John. It had also been the first match his dad had ever witnessed. 

“Dad? What are you doing here?” His words were only a whisper, but Jafar could read the words on his son’s lips. Jay quickly swallowed the lump in his throat and straightened his shoulders. He quickly let go off Gil’s hand and took some firm steps towards his dad. There was no need to get teary eyes for meeting his dad, even though Jay had waited a very long time for this moment to happen. 

“Welcome to Auradon,” Jay greeted his dad. He spoke loudly, hoping his dad could hear him over the rest of the noise. Jay forced a smile, but he figured he still looked overwhelmed. As if he was one of the lost boys, who had been waiting for his dad to return for years. 

“It’s great to see you again,” Jafar greeted him back. His dad laid a hand on his shoulder and softly squeezed in it. Jay barely felt it due to the tourney armour he was wearing. His dad smiled. He obviously wasn’t in as much difficulty as his son. 

Jay wasn’t sure what he should do. Any Auradon Kid would’ve pulled his dad into a hug, but Jay would definitely be crossing a line if he did so. Maybe he could just lay his hand on his dad’s shoulder as well or maybe it was best to immediately take a step backwards. Jay decided to take the middle road and quickly pat his dad on his shoulder before he turned around. 

“Dad, let me introduce you,” Jay said and gestured towards Gil and Carlos. “This is Gil. He is mine…” Jay bit his tongue for a moment. He had no idea how he should address Gil to his dad. “He is the son of Gaston.” It had been a quick save, but Jay hoped his dad hadn’t noticed his hesitation.

“I know him,” Jafar responded. “I have encountered the pirates a few times on the isle.” Jay wasn’t sure if his dad addressed the pirates in a negative or positive note. Jafar kept his eyes fixed on Gil for a few seconds, before he turned towards Carlos. “And of course I still remember DeVil’s son, Carlos.” 

Gil could sense some hostility from the tall man that stood beside Jay. His eyes were narrowed and threatening, even though this man didn’t come across as violence, like his own dad. Gil managed a friendly smile and gave a respectful nod. Jafar didn’t pay much attention to it and turned back towards his son. 

“Jay, is it possible if we could talk somewhere a little bit more quiet?” A frown appeared on Jay’s face, but he slowly nodded. 

“We could go to the locker room if you want to,” Jay suggested. 

“Too quiet,” Jafar simply said. He then grabbed his son’s shoulder and dragged him along. “Come on, let’s get out of this crowd first.” 

Gil noticed how Jafar almost didn’t use any force. He almost gently took Jay along, even though the sound in his tone made it clear he didn’t tolerate any dissent. Jay looked confused, wondering what his dad wanted to tell him, but not alarmed in the slightest. Gil could still feel a slight panic rising up inside him and was glad Carlos was also still there with him.

“You played very good tonight,” Jafar said to Jay, raising his voice a little so bystanders could hear. He looked through the crowd, memorizing all the faces he saw. 

“Thanks,” Jay responded. “It could’ve been better. I made a few unnecessary mistakes, but my last goal definitely made an impression.” Jafar nodded as Jay spoke, but Jay knew his dad wasn’t paying attention to him at all. It didn’t even surprise Jay anymore when his dad quickly pressed a piece of paper in his hand as they walked alongside the tourney field. 

“It’s a list,” Jafar simply said, his voice suddenly a lot softer. “Gaston his trying to gather as much villains for his cause as possible. On that list are all the names who are siding with Gaston.” Jafar glanced over to his son, making sure Jay could still hear him. 

Jay held the piece of paper tight in his hand, understanding it was best people didn’t notice the note his dad had given him.

“You need to pay attention to everyone on that list,” Jafar continued strict. “Their children as well. I know some of them already crossed the border and they’re already in Auradon. It would be wise if you imprison them immediately.” 

“How can you be so sure their kids mean us any harm?” Jay questioned out loud. Jafar grabbed his son’s arm once more and looked at him again. 

“It would be very wise,” Jafar simply said. “Tell Mal to declare a war on the Isle and prepare their armies. I’m perplexed it isn’t already done yet. Mal shouldn’t have waited for so long.” 

“Declare a war on the Isle?” Jay sounded even more surprised than he expected.

“It would be very wise,” Jafar repeated himself. Jafar continued their walk, giving the expression to bystanders that nothing was going on. 

“My name is on that list as well,” Jafar said and for a moment Jay looked at him in shock. “I told Gaston I’ll be fighting for him, but I won’t. I will turn on him the moment we enter the battle field. But I probably won’t see you until then. You have to trust me.” Jay simply nodded. Again that irritating lump seemed to be stuck in his throat. 

“Be careful, dad,” Jay managed to say. His father stopped again, but this time he put a hand on his shoulder and took a deep breath. 

“You grew up to be a fine, young man,” Jafar said proudly. “I know you’re going to be alright.” Jafar gave a little smile to his son, making Jay a little bit more at ease. 

“You did well with befriending that pirate boy,” Jafar continued. His voice had already lost all sympathy and he sounded like a businessman once again. “Those pirates are fierceful enemies, but also valuable friends. It’s best to keep them on your side.“ 

For the first time that evening Jay send his dad a real smile, confirming his words. He realized both he and his dad had been on both sides of the spectrum. 

“Make sure you also gather other villains to your cause,” Jafar gave his last advice. “A lot of villains are actually unsure what to do because of Uma and the pirates. If the pirates could switch sides and trust Uma, than definitely a lot has changed.” 

Jay slowly nodded. He couldn’t really comprehended that his dad truly tried to help them, even putting himself in danger in the progress. He had never seen his dad so selfless before. 

“Thanks dad,” Jay softly said. He had no idea how he could show his gratitude, not sure if a hug would still be out of place. His dad smiled bittersweet at him, as if he felt the same way. This wasn’t a situation either of them was familiar with. 

“I’ll be going back to the Isle within a moment. It would be better if I don’t stay too long,” Jafar said after a while. 

Jay just nodded in agreement as he always had done. Jafar never listened to anyone else, but himself. Even though Jay really wanted him to stay, he knew he could never convince his dad. It seemed so unnecessary for his dad to cross the bridge once more and report to Gaston again. But before Jay could even express his feelings, his dad had already turned around and tried to walk away.

“Dad,” Jay quickly shouted before his dad would be gone. Jafar turned around, facing his son again. Jay had finally made his decision. He wouldn’t be able to change his dad’s mind about staying in Auradon, but there was still another important thing Jay had to talk about. 

“About Gil,” Jay said clearly. “He’s not just any friend. He’s my boyfriend.” Jay felt nervous, maybe even a little scared, when his dad frowned down on him for a moment. Jay decided he would stand his ground, no matter how his dad would react. He remembered how brave Gil had been, back when Gaston heard the news. Gil didn’t back down, so Jay refused to show any discomfort he might had. 

“I thought so much,” Jafar finally responded. “Why else would you be greeting him in that manner. It didn’t make much sense to me.” 

Jay cursed to himself, knowing his dad was referring to the kiss he and Gil had shared on the tourney field. Jay should’ve known it was stupid to jump in his arms and kiss him, but he never would’ve expected his dad would witness it. Jafar could see the distress on his son’s face, even though Jay tried his best to hide it. They both had always been bad at these heart to heart conversations. 

“You know son, it doesn’t even surprise me,” Jafar continued, making Jay look up in shock once more. “Yes, I’ve seen you flirt with every girl that crossed your path, but somehow the way you looked at the DeVil’s boy…” Jafar stopped for a moment, an uneasy look on his face. Jay could feel his disapproval, even though it still went better than he expected. 

“He makes you happy?” Jafar suddenly asked and finally turned towards his son. 

“Yes?” Jay answered, unsure why his dad would ask such a question. 

“Does he make all your wishes come true?” 

“Well yes!” Jay replied once more, but this time he already was a lot more confident. 

“Good,” Jafar answered with a smile. “You have to make sure you don’t waste your entire life searching for a lamp. And like I said; it’s important to keep the pirates on your side.” 

It took a moment before his father’s words sank through. Jay smiled brighter and finally wrapped his arms around his dad. Jafar awkwardly patted him on his shoulder. It also didn’t take long before Jay quickly took a step backwards again. Jay was surprised to see his dad had a proud look on his face. Jay would fight for what he wanted, just like his dad wanted him to. What his son was fighting for, was something he should get used to, Jafar thought as he looked back at Gil for a moment. 

“Thank you,” Jay said once more, getting his dad attention again. “I mean it, thank you.” 

Jafar smiled up to his son, for the last time that evening grabbing his shoulder. “Anything for my son.” 

Once more Jay couldn’t believe how selfless his dad was. As if he had changed since Jay last visited him on the Isle. As if his dad had finally realized Jay wasn’t happy about all the choices his dad had made throughout his life and he finally tried to make up for it. 

Jafar turned around, leaving for the Isle of the Lost again. Just before he was lost in the crowd, Jafar turned towards his son one last time. 

“You’re pretty good at this tourney game,” Jafar yelled up to Jay. “I bet you can make a lot of gold with it. So when you make it big, make sure you don’t forget about the old man who taught you all those skills.” Jay laughed and waved goodbye to the man who’d raised him. 

“Just in time dad,” Jay said bittersweet as he watched him disappear in the crowd. “I almost didn’t recognize you anymore.”

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry it took me a little longer to write this chapter. It actually became much longer than I first anticipated. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of the follow-up story. And of course I hope you will enjoy the rest of the story as well.


End file.
